Engage a Mentor with a Short-Term Project

Last summer my friend Rick hosted his nephew, a recent graduate from university, for two weeks as an intern in his consulting business. Under Rick’s guidance, his nephew prepared presentations, assisted in customer engagement projects, built a scheduling spreadsheet, suggested marketing recommendations, and formalized a development plan post-internship. Although not paid, the perks included full room and board and weekend adventures in nearby San Francisco.

For interns, this type of expert-led learning is expected. But learning new skills and gaining more experience shouldn’t be limited to unpaid assignments. Young workers seek mentors for guidance and support in helping them grow professionally. But finding that unique supporter can be a challenge for many young workers. Not everyone has an uncle like Rick willing to devote the kind of time he did with the thoughtfulness about specific skills to be developed.

According to a survey conducted by SuccessFactors in 2012, the number one benefit Millennials request upon being hiring is to receive a mentor. Yet the experience of many mentors, especially those in limited supply such as senior executive women, is that the free-range scope of most mentoring engagements presents a time commitment and emotional investment that prevents having more than one or two protégés at a time. That puts suitable mentors in short supply for young workers. How can you improve the likelihood that you will get access to the best possible mentor? As Jeanne Meister and I discussed in the HBR Guide to Getting the Mentoring You Need, one way to improve the odds of getting the mentor you want is to be sensitive to their limited time through a short engagement. Think really short, as in, less than a month — in essence, a micro-mentor.

Imagine yourself as a potential mentor. Which one is easier to say yes to? The person who asks, “Will you be my mentor?” or someone who approaches you with, “I want to learn more about working directly with customers, and I’d like you to mentor me in that area for the next month with just two or three meetings. Are you available?” It is much easier to say yes to the second request. With careful planning, you can get a great mentor — or a series of mentors — by simply showing sensitivity to the mentor’s schedule. Limiting the engagement to a very specific development area ups the odds of getting the mentor you need even further.

How should you structure a micro-mentoring relationship? Here are six tips for this special kind of mentoring engagement:

Set targeted goals. Select one or two critical goals to focus on, and identify ways of measuring success. There’s nothing more draining for a mentor than a growing list of nonspecific goals and no end in sight.

Find the right person. Look for someone expert enough, but not so expert that they’ve lost the ability to connect with someone at your level. You want someone just out of your league — barely. If you don’t know someone directly, use your network of peers and your manager to find someone. Alternatively, your company might have a searchable directory you can access. One of the best ways to connect with people in your own company is LinkedIn, so try looking there as well.

Identify your role. Be precise about your goals and your commitment to drive the relationship. Explain your role in the relationship, and what you plan to do during the engagement, whether that’s assisting the mentor in specific projects, shadowing the mentor, or having regular discussions. By doing so, you will stand out in stark contrast to those who simply ask someone to mentor them.

Define the time commitment. The more specific you can be, the better. Using the example of someone asking for experience working with customers, you might ask to shadow the expert for one visit with a customer and for the mentor to respond to two structured one-hour interviews over the next month.

Leverage the mentor’s time. Consider buddying up with one or two other peers who have expressed the same interest. The mentor gets bigger bang for the buck, and you gain visibility as a group that pursues professional growth. Your targeted mentor also earns a reputation for nurturing talent.

Stick to your word. Don’t extend the time commitment uninvited or fail to do the things you’ve agreed upon. Instead, at the end of the engagement, thank your mentor and express your appreciation. Ask them if they’d suggest another area you should be developing and who they might suggest as a mentor. If you felt you seriously connected with your mentor and you’d like a longer engagement, define it as completely new and give them a graceful way to decline if they don’t have the time. If they’re interested, they will respond enthusiastically.

One of the top reasons mentoring relationships fail is that the mentor and protégé do not connect with each other on an interpersonal level. The micro-mentor engagement allows a try-before-buying opportunity as well, should you ever be in the market for a longer-term mentor. However, you just might find that getting known by a half dozen or so key experts in the company over the next year through micro-mentors is the best way to increase your skill-set and help you find your next career opportunity.